


Can I Try Something?

by TheUnicornAstronaut



Category: RWBY
Genre: College AU, F/F, Fluff, Soulmates, White Rose Week, weiss studies too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 12:54:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14915751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUnicornAstronaut/pseuds/TheUnicornAstronaut
Summary: Since she was little Weiss' father has forced her to wear gloves. The reason is unknown until Ruby, Weiss' newest friend and roommate, asks about it.Whiterose Week day 2: Soulmate AU





	Can I Try Something?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a day late, but who cares? This was hard to write for some reason, if I'm being honest. Don't know why. Enjoy!

Weiss hated her gloves. She’d been told that if she took them off bad things would happen, so she never did. At first she agreed to it, because a few kids in her class were not the most hygienic, but then it grew into second nature.  She can’t even remember how old she was when the gloves were first placed on her hands. They always fit her hands, no matter how old she got there were always a pair of gloves in her bathroom that fit her hands perfectly. Slowly she’d gotten used to the blinding white color of them, and she even grew to love it. If something went wrong, she could always look at her hands and see something familiar. 

She was completely unable to understand her father’s anger, but she learned quickly not to upset her father in any way. When she was very young and still getting used to wearing gloves wherever she went, Wiss had taken them off to feel the fabric of the clothes in her closet. Sometimes she forgot what things felt like, and her curiosity was mistaken as some sort of mocking of her father. He’d walked into her room and saw her without her gloves and began yelling. 

The gloves had stayed on every minute of every day after that. 

Today was different, though. This was they Weiss had been waiting for years. Instead of going to college in Atlas, she’d managed to convince her father into letting her come to Vale. She ended up with a nice, pretty new scar, but it was worth it just to get away from him. 

Vale was extremely different from Atlas. Warm greens from the enormous forest surrounding the city, brilliant shades of red from the Forever Fall Forest, and the striking architecture made Vale the perfect spot for a girl who hadn’t had any freedom before. The people so far were warm and inviting, and finding landmarks was a breeze. 

Beacon University was a public college located on the cliffs overlooking Vale. The only way to get there safely was to take an airship, so Weiss had boarded one of the first airships of the day.  She’d almost regretted coming a day early because she had to stay at a hotel, but it was worth every bit of lien to be away from her father sooner. It was quiet since it was so early, and Weiss took the opportunity to watch the sun rise. Atlas had wonderful sunrises, but this one felt spectacular in a was she couldn’t quite explain. 

When Weiss got off the airship she couldn’t quite believe her eyes. Beacon was breathtaking. Emerald grass fields greeted her with expertly placed flowers and bushes adding to the courtyard while pillars of carved stone lined each side. They connected to one another in a straight line, leading the eye straight to Beacon’s main building. The courtyard was surrounded by a similar carved stone that was linked at the top, and Weiss knew the many footpaths would take her anywhere on campus. 

“I can’t believe it,” Weiss said to herself. She’d worked so hard for this moment, but now she was waiting for Klein to wake her up to drive her to Atlas Academy. 

There was a commotion behind her, but Weiss didn’t bother turning around. She took out her scroll and checked for any missed messages from her father. He did not like it when she took too long to answer him. Thankfully he hadn’t contacted her for the past two days, and today she let out a sigh of relief. No messages. 

A flash of gold caught her attention, and Weiss looked up just in time to see a tall, blonde woman run past her. A small group of other people her age raced behind her. 

“What in the…” Weiss whispered. 

“Wait, Yang!” a voice called out behind her. Heavy footsteps hurried to catch up to the group, but by the time they reached Weiss they slowed down and stopped. “Great, thanks a lot Yang.” 

Next to her was a girl. Her black, red tipped hair hid most of her face from view, but Weiss could clearly see that she was distressed. She wore a bright hoodie that was a size too big, dark blue jeans, and a pair of combat boots. Wait,  _ combat boots _ ? Weiss stared a bit too long at the girl’s feet, because the next thing she knew the girl was facing her. 

“Hey, sorry to bother you,” she shuffled her feet, “but do you know where the dorms are? I wasn’t able to get a tour before I came, and my sister was the only one who knew her way around here. She ditched me earlier.” Weiss finally tore her eyes away from the girl’s feet, and looked at her face. Her father had taught her to always make eye contact with the people she was speaking with. 

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The words jumbled in her head like millions of tiny mosquitoes, and they all eluded her. This girl had silver eyes. Not a light gray that reminded you of rain clouds, but a bright, pure silver that reflected everything about her.  Weiss could tell how lost she was, and it was scary how clearly she saw through her.   
“I… Yes, I do,” Weiss said with slight difficulty. She broke her gaze from the girl and gathered her things. “Follow me.” Then, with little effort, Weiss slung her overstuffed backpack over her shoulder, grabbed onto her two suitcases, and began to walk down the courtyard. 

“Oh, um, thanks! By the way I’m Ruby,” Ruby stuck out her hand. “Ruby Rose.”

Weiss took it gently and tried not to be bothered by the heat she could feel through her gloves. “Weiss,” she said. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Weiss!” Ruby flashed a blinding grin her way. 

“Likewise,” she mumbled. 

 

~0~

 

“So why do you keep those gloves on all the time?” Ruby asked casually. It was late November, right after break and they’d gotten together to study. 

Weiss stilled, her pen pausing in the middle of a sentence. It was inevitable. Since the first day they met, Weiss knew that Ruby was curious. She was an explorer, always trying to find the answers to her questions. Ruby also didn’t ask many personal questions about Weiss, or anyone in general. It was one thing she liked about her, but she wasn’t as comfortable now that Ruby had gotten the courage to ask it now. 

“If you don’t want to answer that’s fine,” Ruby tapped the eraser end of her pencil on the desk. It was a nervous tick of hers. “I was just curious why you never seem to take them off. I’ve seen you sleep in them, so I was just curious.”

“It’s not related to you at all, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Weiss said with humor. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she debated whether to tell Ruby the truth, or make up a lie. In recent months she found that lying did more harm than good since it seemed like Ruby could read her mind. 

“Oh, good, I was kinda worried I was always too dirty or something,” Ruby laughed lightly. Her pencil kept bouncing. 

“No, I’m not that petty,” Ruby coughed loudly. “Okay, not anymore. But it’s… kind of strange.” 

“How so?” Ruby asked, looking up from the desk. Their eyes met, and Weiss knew that she was telling the truth. 

“For as long as I can remember I’ve had them on,” she started, placing her pen aside and looking at her hands. “My father had always said to keep them on, and there was one time he caught me without them.” 

Ruby gasped, she knew a little bit of how her father acted. Weiss could still remember how outraged she was when she told her a story from when she was a little girl. She felt warm and tingly all over that day. 

“Yeah, so after that I always made sure to wear them. It became normal to me, wearing gloves all the time. White’s even my favorite color,” Weiss managed a weak chuckle. “I don’t know why I kept them on once I came here, I guess it’s so second nature I forgot once school started.” It wasn’t a lie either, a week into the semester Weiss was spending hours upon hours studying and staying ahead of all her courses. She would’ve constantly been working if it wasn’t for Ruby dragging her out of their dorm multiple times a week. 

“Do you know why your dad wanted you to wear them?” Ruby leaned forward to ask. There was a look in her eyes that Weiss couldn’t quite decipher. It was a knowing look, but apprehensive, as if she didn’t want her conclusion to be correct.  

“Not really,” she admitted. “I was too young to really question it, and I avoided my father whenever I could. It was never very high on my list of priorities.” 

“Have you heard of the  _ Light _ ?” 

Weiss narrowed her eyes. “The what?”

Ruby stared at her for a moment. “The  _ Light _ ? You know, when you and the person you’re destined to be together with touch for the first time?” Weiss stared blankly at her. 

“I went to a private school, Ruby,” Weiss reminded her. “We weren’t taught about this  _ Light _ stuff, we learned about Remnant’s history, math, english, things you normally learn.” 

Now Ruby seemed to be on the verge of panicking. “Wait, wait, wait. So you’re telling me you don’t know  _ anything _ about how soulmates work?” 

“Soulmates?” Weiss repeated. “Ruby, you do realize those don’t exist, right? They’re just myths, nobody can prove that soulmates are real.”

“But they do exist, Weiss!” Ruby cried. “I’ve seen it happen! My sister, Yang found hers. I was there, I saw the whole thing.”

“Yang and Blake?” Where was she when this happened?

“Yeah, you were there too, but you were still ordering your food. I thought you saw the light though,” her brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you see it?” 

“Maybe because it doesn’t exist,” Weiss suggested, shrugging her shoulders. 

“It does! I can’t believe you’ve never heard of it,” Ruby went quiet after that. Weiss continued to stare at her until it was evident that she was working through a problem in her head. Picking up her pen, Weiss began to finish the rest of her sentence. 

Silence remained for a long time, and it began to feel awkward since she could feel Ruby’s eyes on her. She didn’t dare look up because she really didn’t want to look in Ruby’s eyes when she was thinking this hard. The last time that happened, she’d been forced to excuse herself from their study room so she could splash some cold water on her face in the bathroom. 

“I wanna try something,” Ruby said, visibly startling Weiss. She just about jumped out of her seat, and she fumbled with her pen. 

“W-What did you have in mind?” she stuttered. 

“I don’t know if it’ll work, but could you take off your gloves and touch my hand?” With a deadly serious look on her face, Ruby extended her hand across the table. “If you’re not comfortable with it I’ll drop it and find another way to show you.” 

Weiss sighed. “The soulmate thing?”

“Yes.” 

She really couldn’t argue with her when Ruby got like this, and would only be for a few moments. There was a little bit of excitement at the thought of taking off her gloves off though. Her father wasn’t here, and there was nobody else around to tell him anyway. This was Weiss’ choice to make. The thought sent pleasant shivers through her body. 

“Alright, but don’t pout when it doesn’t work,” she said as she took off her gloves. 

“Okay,” Ruby glanced between her hand and Weiss’ for a few moments. Then she looked her in the eyes. “On three.” 

“Okay. One,” Weiss began.

“Two,” they inched closer together.

“Three.” Weiss grasped Ruby’s hand tightly with her left. 

Like the many other times Weiss had touched Ruby her hand was entrapped in a comfortable warmth, but this time she could feel Ruby’s skin, how callused and soft it was. It was a completely different experience, and it made Weiss’ brain fuzzy. The warmth seeped from her hand into every part of her body, and she had to suppress the urge to shiver. She blinked a few times to clear her head, and looked up at Ruby. Her eyes were wide and staring at their joined hands. 

“Wow,” Ruby breathed. 

“‘Wow’ what?” Weiss asked. “Nothing happened.”

“No, something did!” Ruby said excitedly. “Did you feel that? It felt like somebody put a bunch of pillow stuffing in my head, and then it felt like I was floating.” 

Weiss shook her head, not quite sure what to make of that. “I did feel it, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means a lot, Weiss!” Ruby’s other hand came from nowhere to clasp her left one in both. “This could be it. I’ve heard of it not happening right away, sometimes it just happens in a different way. There was this one couple I read about that had to punch each other on the shoulder before they knew. Even Yang and Blake had to do something weird.” 

“What, like wiping food off of each other’s cheeks?” Weiss shook her head and started retracting her hand. “I’m sorry, Ruby, but I just don’t see the significance of all that.” 

Ruby held on, squeezing her hand. “Weiss, I know something happened. Trust me when I say I’ve been around the block before, and all of the stories point towards this. We just have to figure out what the trigger is.” 

Weiss sighed, reaching her hand out to peel Ruby’s hands from her. “I don’t understand why this  _ Light _ thing is so important to you, but obviously it isn’t working with us. Maybe you have the wrong person? Are there signs that you can track so you have an idea if you have the right person?” 

“Yes! That’s what I’ve been doing the past few weeks. From the moment I met you I knew there was something about you. I didn’t know what, but I had a feeling we’d see a lot of each other. Then it turns out we’re roommates, and then we started hanging out more, and I got curious. Each case is different, and I wanted to be sure. I wanted to be absolutely sure about this, Weiss, because you mean a lot to me as a friend.” 

Stunned, Weiss’ hand hovered over their joined ones, letting Ruby continue. 

“I don’t want to make a mistake and not have you as a friend anymore, but something told me that I was right,” Ruby stopped for breath and laughed a bit. “I was trying to find the right time to ask, but it wasn’t happening. I couldn’t stand not knowing anymore, so I just said it. I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” 

Weiss instantly moved into action, placing her right hand over Ruby’s. “No, you-”

A sudden bright, shining light enveloped them. Both of them gave a surprised shout, and Weiss closed her eyes. Their hands remained together, and she didn’t even think to cover her eyes with her hands. The light began to dim down after several moments, but it took quite a while and Weiss’ eyes hurt by the time she opened them. 

“What in the world was that?” she asked, pulling her hands away to rub at her temples. Ruby didn’t respond, which Weiss appreciated since she needed to recover from almost being blinded. “That wasn’t something you did, was it?” When she still didn’t get a response, she forced her eyes open. “Ruby?”

Ruby’s gaze was fixed on her hands, which lay limply on the table. Her mouth was open, and Weiss found herself reaching out to her. Before she could touch her, Ruby sprung into motion. She burst out of her chair and planted her hands flat on the table. She leaned forward until a few inches separated them, her grin just about splitting her face in two. 

“That was it!” she said. “It was the  _ Light _ , Weiss.” Her eyes bored into Weiss as if she was trying to drill understanding into them. 

“So that means…” Weiss trailed off. 

“It means we’re soulmates!” 

“Oh,” Weiss said. “Well that’s a surprise.” 

**Author's Note:**

> A little fun tidbit, the whole gloves thing was slightly inspired by brokenmimir's Supernatural Affairs: Nine Cases. If you haven't read it you really should, it's great. Weiss with gloves is such a cool concept I hadn't really thought about before, but it fits her so well! Hope you liked it, and leave a comment if you want. They're my lifeblood.


End file.
